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AGE is no barrier in table tennis, as 82-year-old Gillian Hutchinson is keen to show!
The Padstow Heights resident keeps her body and mind fit by playing table tennis recreationally and competitively. In fact, Hutchinson only recently returned from the World Veteran Table Tennis Championships in Spain last month. Players from around the world competed in 17,000 matches.
Age divisions ranged from over-40 to over-9O and players came from a range of cultural backgrounds. Despite the popular perception that Asia dominates the sport, Hutchinson said that wasn't necessarily the case. "The Swedes, the English play a lot, the Germans play a lot. They play a lot in Europe," she said; "There were 278 Japanese players, of whom 44 were under 60, so just imagine how many were in the older age groups."
There were many benefits for older players, she said. "Somebody said to me 'you ought to tell the Minister for Ageing how good table tennis is because it keeps us healthy so they don't have to spend so much money on keeping us healthy'," Hutchinson said.
A fall in August and an operation in January wasn't enough to stop her going to Spain. The former schoolteacher plans to keep playing and will work towards the next championships in Las Vegas.
Author: Clndy Ngo
Picture: Tim Clapin
Source from THE EXPRESS